Hon Claims Nottingham Crown
Priscilla Hon has claimed her second ITF singles title of the year after taking out the W25 event in Nottingham.
Hon dropped just two sets en route to the final where she overcame local Maia Lumsden 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a tense battle lasting over two hours.
The match was punctuated by long games, with the Brit often digging her heels in to hold off Hon.
In fact, Lumsden managed to save 14 out of 18 breakpoints, but the damn wall eventually broke and Hon was able to take control.
The win in Nottingham is Hon’s second for the year and the sixth overall at ITF level, with her last title coming in Israel back in May.
Hon has moved up to No. 196 in the live WTA rankings and will be desperate to harness her recent good form to make a charge back up the rankings.
Gibson Goes Back-To-Back
Closer to home, teenager Talia Gibson has earned a running double at ITF level by taking out the W15 in Caloundra for the second week in a row.
The week had a sense of deja vu about it for Gibson, who again failed to drop a set in the lead-up to the final. Her opponent for the final would also be the same, facing top seed Destanee Aiava.
Unfortunately, Aiava would eventually retire hurt in the second set of the final trailing 4-6, 2-3 to the in-form Gibson.
It’s a harsh blow for Aiava who had reached her second final in as many weeks after being unable to reach that stage for over two years prior to her fortnight in Caloundra.
Gibson continues her rise and is currently sitting at No. 600 in the world in a big year for the West Aussie.
In the doubles, Aussie Stefani Webb and New Zealander Monique Barry were defeated in the final by Japanese pair Nanari Katsumi and Aoi Ito 2-6, 2-6.
Kelly Back On The Winners’ List
32-year-old Victorian Dayne Kelly has won his first title since 2019 by taking out the M15 in Caloundra.
The drought-breaking win came against last week’s champion Dane Sweeny who has been in outstanding form on the ITF Tour this season.
Kelly reached the final with an unblemished record for the week but was pushed in the final, eventually coming out on top in a 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 victory in over two hours on court.
The victory sees Kelly’s record improve to an impressive 34/13 for the year, with 30 of those wins coming on the hard courts.
As for Sweeny, his great year continues despite the loss in the final. The 21-year-old has claimed three titles for the season and has a 40/17 record, while he is up to No. 347 in the live ATP rankings.
On the double side of things, Aaron Addison and Matthew Romios took out the M15 in Caloundra.
The pair defeated fellow Aussies Blake Bayldon and Jordan Smith 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 in a tight battle. It’s Addison’s third and Romios’ second ITF title for 2022.
Fourlis Falls Short
Aiming to win her fourth ITF title for the year, Jamiee Fourlis came up short against Ekaterina Makarova at the W25 in Horb, Germany.
The Victorian was aiming to keep her perfect record in finals intact but was outplayed in a 1-6, 0-6 loss to the seventh seed after enterering the match under an injury cloud.
Prior to the final, Fourlis was in great touch as she powered her way to the final after dropping just one set for the tournament.
Fourlis also made the final i the doubles with fellow Aussie Alana Parnaby, with the pair coming up short in an agonising 6-2, 4-6, 8-10 loss to Makarova and Ekaterina Reyngold.
Elsewhere, the Aussie pairing of Cen Kavrak and Chase Ferguson came up short in the doubles final at the M15 in Monastir. The duo lost 6-7(3), 3-6 to Skander Mansouri and Aziz Ouakaa.